Hongju History Museum
Hongju History Museum
Hongju History Museum, situated within the Hongjuseong Fortress, consists of one above-groudn floor and two underground floors. Jang Sa-ik, a popular vocalist from Hongseong, narrates stories related to the Hongjuseong Fortress and descriptions of the history of Hongseong.
As a way to visualize the geographical features of Hongseong, which looks like a land where a drum fell, a video with a title of "Hongju, th Land of High Sky and Sinking Ground" is shown at the entrance when the buk (Korean-style drum) is hit.
Down in the exhibition hall, there is a model of the Hongjuseong Fortress restored in reference to the Gyujanggak map of 1871 that gives us a glimpse of what Hongjuseong Fortress might have looked like in the Joseon Dynasty. Also, information is provided on the great figures born in Hongseong including General Choi Yeong, Seong Sam-mun, Kim Bok-han, Yi Seol, Han Yong-un, and General Kim Jwa-jin.
Next to it, there are articles of packmen under the theme of "Hongju and Packmen." In a room designed as a traditional Korean tavern, it shows people's lives in the past through a conversation between the characters whose shadows are cast upon a window. It also sheds light on the Hongju Righteous Army and independence movement, giving a glimpse into the patriotism of the people of Hongseong from the late Joseon Dynasty through the Japanese occupation period.
They also talk about the introduction of Buddhism, Donghak, and Catholic. At a corner of exhibition room, there is a corridor showing the history of Catholic suppression that took place in Hongseong. If a visitor steps on the sensor of floor, a scream sounds to reproduce a horrible historic fact. This was designed to make people feel the patriotic love for the country of people in Hongseong in the period from the late Joseon era to Japanese colonial era. At the end, a poem written by Yi Su-gwang when he was serving as the Hongju-moksa is introduced in a video under the theme of "A Leap, Centering on Naepo." The Hongju History Museum was opened in May 2011.
